As expected Mets reliever Tim Byrdak has decided to undergo shoulder surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule, which potentially could end the 39-year-old’s career.

Byrdak told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York that his goal is to return late next season, but he understands how difficult that may be:

It’s been a very emotional two days. The hardest part was talking to my two little guys and telling them there’s a real good chance that dad might not play big league baseball no more. It’s something I can’t avoid. I could try to do the rehab. But my way of life–I want to play catch with my sons, I want to coach them and throw BP to them and stuff like that–and if I want to do that, I have to have this thing fixed

Byrdak had a pretty nice career considering he didn’t secure a regular gig in the majors until age 33. From that point on he logged 269 innings with a 3.62 ERA and has earned more than $5 million.

Rubin notes that Mets pitchers Johan Santana and Chris Young had the same surgery previously, with Santana returning after 20 months and Young returning after 13 months.

Buchholz, 33, was acquired by the Phillies from the Red Sox in December 2016, but he made only two starts before an MRI revealed he had a partial tear of his right flexor pronator mass. He underwent surgery in April and missed the rest of the season.